Binding Ties (used to be Facio)
by Kijikun1
Summary: More formating and editing updates. Chapter 4 rewriten. What made Snape became a spy? And who else might suffer for his sins? Chpt 8 up.
1. Facio

****

Facio

  
_By Shaina  
Rated R_

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of Rowling characters or ideas. Fancy and Jessie are mine.

Authors note: If you enjoy this please go read, A Hard Ride, Playing with Poison, and Scotch. All are prequels to this.   
  


There is a time in a child's life when her parents are her world, where a leaf can be the most amazing thing and even the most serious of men can find themselves praising their child for bringing it to them. A time when a mother's world can revolve around whether that elven little face holds a smile or tears.   
  
Where a father, would gladly play tea party after tea party, for one of his daughter's smiles.   
  
Only a few weeks shy of her second birthday, one such little girl lay fast asleep. The room was small, as was the house that sat on the coast of Australia, 10 miles from a wizarding village, almost 100 from the nearest muggle home. A velveteen rabbit was tucked under her little arm, as she slept in her ornately craved crib. Fancy smiled sadly watching her only child sleepily suck on her bottle, brushing the black curly hair out of her face, before leaving the room. Pulling the door slightly closed behind her.   
  
In the crib black eyes opened, and a thumb popped in her mouth pushing the bottle of funny tasting milk away. "Da?" She sat up, peering around in the darkness.  
  
Not old enough yet to grasp certain things, Jessie just knew that when she called him he always came. He'd always just be there, picking her up into his arms, talking to her softly in a voice that was silk to his daughter's little ears. Even here in this new, sometimes scary room, without all her toys, he'd appear when she called. "Da?"  
  
Fancy sighed pouring herself a cup of tea. She hoped Jessie would stop asking for her father before this. It just made what she was doing that much harder. She knew they were coming to tonight... a tear ran down her face. She was doing the right thing... she was saving her... not killing her... not really.  
  
He'd be devastated when he found out. And that hurt more than she thought it would. While she didn't love her husband madly and passionately she still...  
  
Ah hell whom was she kidding? She was fond of him, she cared for him as the father of her precious baby daughter but... she didn't love him. Never had. She'd married for money, power, and name. Fancy knew he loved her... and before Jessie was born she'd love to throw that fact in his face. To laugh at him sometimes. To remind him how little she thought of him and how much she thought of power.  
  
Power she was giving up so that the innocent baby down the hall one-day would never have the mark marring her arm. So that Jessica would never have to know what it was like to kill someone. Fancy had been selfish all her life. Never caring for anything but how much she could get... how far she could go. Before Jessie the only person she'd truly cared for was her little sister Narcissa.  
  
That name just caused more pain, it was her fault that her sweet little sister had gone so far astray and married herself to Lucius Malfoy. Oh how she feared for little Draco, wished she could save him like she was her Jessie.  
  
And how she feared for Christine Ovid if her brothers ever found out just how much of their deatheater actives she was telling the ministry about.  
  
There was a sound at the doorway, and Fancy looked up and smiled sadly. "Hello sister. I was wondering when you'd find us."  
  
"It'd be better for you both if you just co-operated and came with me, Fancy. I can only keep Lucius away so long." Narcissa almost begged her older sister. "You can still make amends..."  
  
Fancy sighed standing and drawing her wand. "Since when does your husband listen to you, Nar? And aren't you afraid of leaving Draco alone with him? I would be."  
  
Narcissa flinched. "He won't touch him... Draco is his son... he wouldn't touch him."  
  
"Oh course he wouldn't Nar... not yet at least.Lucuius likes them a bit older than two." Fancy said cruelly.  
  
Jessie climbed out of the crib toddling over to the partly open door, green teddy bear and blanket in one hand, her thumb in her mouth. Wondering why mommy wasn't happy to see Aunt Nars. Why they both looked so unhappy.  
  
"Why are YOU hiding from your husband then, Fancy? Catch him not playing 'nicely' with Jessie?" Narcissa sneered back.  
  
Fancy smacked her sister hard. "Shut the fuck up. He'd NEVER hurt her. He'd never touch her... not like that and you know it. Unlike your husband he still has morals." Fancy growled. "You can sell Draco's soul if you like, I won't sell Jessie's. We both made our  
choices Narcissa... but I'll suffer a thousand deaths in hell before I force my child into this world. We both know what it will do to them..."  
  
"Fancy... be reasonable. There's no way you'll keep her hidden. Lucius is on his way... and he will take her back over your dead body." Narcissa said calmly.  
  
Fancy turned away from her sister walking towards Jessie's room. "I'll take her life myself before I let her be damned to hell for me and her fathers sins."  
  
The front door of the house literally blew in, sending little Jessie to hide under her crib cowering in fear.  
  
"Times up my dear. I let you try it your way... now we'll do it mine." Lucius   
Malfoy's voice was almost pleasant. "Hello 'sister'. It's really too bad it has to be this way. It'll be hard to find someone else that's quite so fun to kill people with."  
  
"She's already dead Lucius. I put a potion in with her milk tonight, it's slowing down her heart as we speak." Fancy said.  
  
Narcissa backed away from her husband as he turned red. "You little lying... you'd never kill your precious daughter. Now stop going to that room!"  
  
"Or what you'll kill me? You're going to do that any ways." Fancy laughed almost hysterically. "I'm surprised my dear husband isn't here to help you."  
  
Malfoy laughed. "I won't just be killing you my dear... I'll be ripping you apart..."  
  
The door to Jessie's room magically slammed shut.  
  
She didn't know it but the strange sounds Jessie heard after that were spells and cures be cast... then horrible screams... and laughing... laughing that made Jessie want to scream herself.  
  
Jessie hugged her teddy tightly, crying.   
  
Eventually the screams stopped..and the door to her bedroom opened. Narcissa stepped in staring at the child cowering under the cradle. There was horror on her face. Jessie was still alive. Narcissa looked back where her husband was standing over the bloody body of her older sister, wiping the blood of his dagger with Fancy's hair. Narcissa turned around and left the room.  
  
"Is the brat in there? I'd like to get home before Draco wakes up. Wouldn't do for his parents not to be there for his birthday." Lucuius called.  
  
"Yes... no... She's dead..." Narcissa said, eyes glaring at her husband daring him to call her on this.  
  
"She can't be dead... Fancy was bloody bluffing..."Malfoy sneered loudly.   
  
"She's dead. Fancy killed her."  
  
"That's utterly.."  
  
"Lucuius, as you said let us return home to OUR son. We can inform her father later. And may I remind you that you still owe me that favour for giving you such a 'fine strong and health' son?" Narcissa hissed softly.  
  
There was a silent pause.  
  
"So be it." Lucuius had an odd note to his voice, as he looked at his wife for the first time almost with... respect.  
  
A long time after that, Jessie crept out from her hiding spot, and ventured out into the living room.   
  
"Moma?" The one-year old froze in her tracks, black eyes wide.   
  
Her mother was lying in a puddle of red wet stuff. "Moma?"   
  
"J-Jessie."Fancy struggled to open her eyes.  
  
Jessie toddled over to her mother, patting her. "Moma ow?"she asked.  
  
Fancy would have smiled if it weren't for the pain..."I-love you J-Jessie.. Now run..." She coughed... no longer able to see her daughter's small face framed with silkily black hair.   
  
"Moma?"   
  
No answer.  
  
"Moma?"  
  
Little legs carried the almost two year old out the door and into the woods... the swamps. She ran till she couldn't run anymore, then tumbled to the ground.

  
Sobbing and hugging her rabbit and blanket. "Da...Da."she cried wanting her father to come and make it all right. But he didn't. She must have fallen asleep because the next then she knew strong arms had picked her up, cradling her. "Its all right little one, go back to sleep." Jessie never knew who carried her to the village, but whoever it was did just that carried her the many miles to the village so when she woke up  
  
she was being held by a strange woman. And she was crying. The little girl reached up and patted her face almost curiously.   
  
"How did the child get here?" A man's voice was saying somewhere off where she couldn't see.   
  
"Merlin knows... the mother was found dead..." the next words were spoken in a hush. "She had the mark on her arm..."  
  
The woman holding her looked at her sadly. "You poor little dear. But don't you worry... things will different for you now..."  
  
And they were. The much-loved child went from affection and adoration to being shipped from one family to the next. And even before she was three, Jessica had learn to fear and dread the hard faced man that would come and take her away just when she started to feel safe. When she was old enough to ask she was told her parents were dead and... By the hard faced man that she had to call Mr. Crampton... that they never wanted her any ways. And of course she believed what she was told... for why would they lie and because she couldn't remember ever having parents...  
  
tbc 

__

Please review it only take a moment.


	2. Superstes

****

Superstes

By Shaina 

  
  
**_Author note: Sorry it's so short. Hope you all like it. If you want more of this story you've gotten review and tell me! Updated and made this part more cannon..  
Disclaimer: Severus Snape and like belong to JK Rowling. Jessie and Fancy belong to me._**

No one ever told me grief felt so much like fear. 
    C. S. Lewis (1898 - 1963)

  
Severus Snape stared at the children playing almost numbly. It was Draco Malay's second birthday party, February 12, 1981. Every Death Eater had brought their children. Parents who wanted their sons' or daughters' to get in good with the young Malfoy. Children from one on up ran around stuffing sweets and cakes into their mouths, playing noisy games that seemed to involve a lot of running and screaming.   
  
Grownups stood around talking, making jokes about how the mudbloods were all going into hiding. Some of them  
bragging about how many Aurours they'd killed while innocent children were in ear shot... not caring.  
  
And he kept looking to make sure Jessie was all right as she played with her   
Friends. Making sure she wasn't one of the children listening intently to the talk of death and power.  
Snape swallowed the rest of his drink barely tasting it. His daughter was dead. His wife was dead. His wife  
had KILLED their child.   
  
Just the way you killed many muggle families. A voice in his head reminded him. But his little Jessie... why  
hadn't Fancy just come home to him. He would have forgiven her for running off like that. He'd have  
forgiven her so many things... for Black... for all the other men before Jessie was born... for flinging  
her... 'dislike' of him in his face constantly.  
  
But as he looked at the still innocent grey eyes of Draco Malfoy, he knew the answer. Fancy wanted to save  
Jessie from the life Draco Malfoy would have. Being raised to follow the Dark Lord. Gods had he wanted  
that for her? For his innocent child to have her hands stained with blood. To have her growing up to love  
killing as much as her mother did?  
  
No... If he was truthful to himself, he did not want this life for her. But a life! He wanted her to have a  
life. He wanted her to go to Hogwarts, and join the long line of Slthyerin in their family. He wanted her  
to turn two. Even that blasted James Potter's child would get to do that... if the Dark lord didn't find  
them first. Severus suppressed a shiver at that.   
  
Fancy had tired to persuade him to give Jessie up, to give Jessie a normal life. For them to perform a  
memory charm on her and leave her on somebody's, like Author Weasly, steps. For him not to sell his  
daughter's soul. And he had not listened to her. She would have had a better life, he had reasoned, the  
daughter of a rich powerful death eater. With everything she could ever want... than the adopted  
daughter of a muggle lover like Weasly.  
  
There was a tug at his leg and his dark eyes focused in on small Draco Malfoy.

  
"Where Jessie?" the little boy practically demanded. And for some reason the sight of that little boy...  
who would get to do something his daughter never would... turn two... tore him apart. Along with the  
horrible realization that Draco wouldn't be allowed to stay innocent for long... not if Lucius had anything  
to do with it.  
  
Not answering the boy he stood... made his apologizes to Lucius and left.

  
His manor home was cold and dark when he arrived...all expect Jessie's room. The house elves seemed to  
keep hoping that she would come back. They mourned her loss almost as deeply as Snape did. Maybe more so.  
  
As he stood by the doorway, he could almost swear he could her soft little laugh. Could still see in his  
mind, her black eyes shining up at him as she told him about her stuffed animals, most of it baby talk. He  
would give anything for her to interrupt him making one of his potions to read to her. The way she would  
toddle in, holding a book half the size of her. Trying to be quiet as she would come up beside him and tug at  
his robes.   
  
The last time she'd done that he'd told her no, and had one of the house elves take her back to her  
room... since Fancy was out with Lucius on deatheater business. If he'd known that would be the last time he'd get a chance to pull her into his lap and read to her...  
  
Severus pushed the thought away... it was too painfully to think of.  
  
Taking a deep breath Snape stepped into the room, and for a brief moment there was Fancy sitting in the rocking chair, cradling Jessie in her arms. Signing softly. 

  
"Thank God Fancy... Jessie your alive..." He took a step forward and the vision vanished. The room was empty and quite once again. The small little bed never to be slept in, the toys never to be touched again. 

  
Severus Snape sank to his knees and for the first time since he was a very small boy... he cried.  
  
The next day Severus Snape went to see Dumbledore...  


**__**

Review! It just takes a second.


	3. defluo

defluo  
  
  
By Shaina  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Severus Snape or anything else contained   
in JK. Rowling books. Don't sure me all your get is debt and bounced checks.  
Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews. And double thanks to my Beta   
reader Fireblade. Hope you'all don't mind I'm taking my sweet time getting her   
to Hogwarts. But I want to establish her some more. If you want more you've   
gotten review and tell me J Thanks. Oh yes for those wondering all the title   
words are Latin.   
  
update note: Text added..things changed to make more sense...  
  
  
  
"We'd love for you to stay with us, Jessie. We really would."   
Jessie nodded, quite used to this little speech by now. Looking up at her foster   
parents, Michael and Carlene Benignant, she almost sighed. They had the same,   
uncomfortable look on their faces as all the others had.   
  
Michael looked at his wife then back at the seven year old sitting before them.   
She was holding a ragged green teddy bear, intelligent black eyes watching him.   
  
"You'll like the new family you're going to Jessie. They live in Ireland…"  
  
Black eyes regarded him, with more seriousness than a black haired seven-year-old with pigtails should have. "But they won't be able to take me till after Christmas." She said softly, that was another part of the game she was used to. No one ever wanted her over Christmas. She always got stuck staying with some stuffy old witch or wizard from the Ministry. Some of them tired to give her a Christmas…others seemed to think she didn't deserve one.   
  
Any of them were better than Mr. Crampton. She tought back the fear that name brought. She didn't want to spend her Christmas scared of upseting him. Didn't want to hear about how she had to work extra hard at being good or else she'd wind up evil like her dead parents. She wanted to cry..beg them not to send her away.  
  
Her foster parents looked at her a bit surprised that she'd known. "We're so   
sorry, sweetie…." Carlene started to say.   
  
"Its okay. Hafta do what the Ministry thinks is best." She told them cheerfully.  
Inwardly the child wanted to kick and scream. To throw a huge temper tantrum and   
break things. But she'd learned a long time ago doing that got her nowhere but   
more time with Crampton and that he'd....punish her for being bad. She hated his punishments.  
  
Especially the ones that involded tellomg her horrible stories about a place called   
Azkaban, and how she'd go there if she wasn't good. She rather get spankings than hear about that place. Or be threatened with another..'field trip'. So she was always good. She tried so hard, but no one ever wanted to keep her.   
  
Her foster parents seemed relived she was taking it so well and sent her up to   
her room to pack her things. Jessie looked around the small, empty room and   
sighed. She'd stopped trying to make rooms her own years ago. Didn't do any good   
to get attached, when they'd make you leave anyway.   
  
"Just me an' you 'gain Roscoe." She told the bear, patting him. "It'll be all   
right. I'll keep you safe."  
  
Tears rolled down her small face. "Don' cry, I'll take care of you Roscoe. Don'   
cry."  
  
Jessie drew her little knees to her chest and cried sliently into the stuffed animal. When you were hit for crying to loud you tended to learn to cry without making noise. Crampton hated her crying and she was always sure he'd find out.  
  
The woman from the Ministry came for her the next morning, and to Jessie's relief this witch didn't look mean or smell funny. She wasn't as old as the others had been either. And more imporantly..she wasn't Crampton.  
  
"Must be hard to leave them." The woman that introduced herself as Ms. Kilem   
said.   
  
Jessie shrugged, looking around as they walked through the halls of the   
Ministry. This was something she was used to, too. She'd have to answer a lot of   
silly questions, about how she felt and if she was happy. Whatever that was. And   
they'd smile at her in that stiff unnatural way, and tell her about this   
wonderful family she was going to live with and that they hoped she could be   
with this family permanently. And of course in the mean time Mr. Crampton would be her garduian..and wasn't that nice?  
  
Nice? Crampton wasn't nice. He was mean, she always wanted to shout. But she'd made that mistake once when she was four. The lady had shaken her head and told her firmly that being punished for being bad didn't make someone mean. Of course Jessie hadn't told them she wasn't just sent to bed once without supper but for a whole week..just for talking back.   
  
She'd gotten more than that when Crampton hadn't gotten ahold of her later.  
  
"You won't miss them?" Ms. Kilem asked sounding surprised.  
  
Jessie shrugged again, black eyes looking up at the older witch. "It's okay. I'm   
used to it. Do you know if Ms. Gadeva if going to be there today? She always   
gives me a chocolate frog if I'm good." Her smile, if not happy at the very   
least was content. Chocolate frogs made her feel better..ever since the first time she'd been really bad and Crampton had taken her to that..place...she couldnt get enough of chocolate. "Sometimes I even get a licoress wand if I'm really good."  
  
Ms. Kilem stared after the little girl. She'd have to talk to the others about   
finding, Jessie a permanent home. If only until she was old enough to go off to   
school. She was sure Crampton was wonderful to the little girl...but a child needs a family and stablity. In the mean time she'd take Jessie out to buy some Christmas presents, take her down to Digaon alley. Jessie would like that.  
  
After all not having parents shouldn't ruin a childs Christmas. 


	4. crucio

**__**

crucio  


  
**_By Shaina  
Disclaimer: I don't own Snape, Harry Potter, or Hogwarts.   
Author's note: Thanks for sticking with me this long. Remember if you want more   
you have to review so I know I'm not boring you. Suggestions welcome! POV fic  
Update:text added._**

__

Journal of Severus Snape

June 21 1989  
  
I think about her sometimes. Late at night, shut up in my private hell under Hogwarts. I think about those shining black eyes. That smiling little face looking up at me.   
  
Its amazing that I can still picture her so clearly in my mind. Always clutching that green bear I bought when Fancy told me she was pregnant.   
  
And when she was born...so tiny…so fragile. A perfect little girl with my eyes and hair. A miracle. Something that neither of us deserved.   
  
Even Fancy had to love her. I still think that surprised her, that she loved her child. Loving anything but herself came quite as a shock to her. But love Jessie she did. Enough to kill for her, enough to die for her, enough to kill her.  


The only noble and decent thing my late wife ever did was to take Jessica from me. She'd changed toward the end. Something happened when she was out helping kill and torture muggles. She came back one night almost in tears, hurrying into Jessica's room to check on the child. Fancy wouldn't tell me what had happened, but she cried in my arms that night. Bawling like a child, saying she wouldn't let it happen to Jessie. That I had to promise never to let it happen to our daughter.

Something changed between us after that. 

  
Sometimes I wake up thinking I've heard her call out to me. Sometimes Fancy…sometimes Jessica. Or hear a soft giggle coming from behind a corner. I'll see a first year with black hair and remember how many years it would have been before she'd have come to Hogwarts.

  
I'll wonder if she would have shared my passion for potions. If she would have wanted to play Qudditch. Or have tired to learn to fly before she was even seven.  
  
I don't let myself dwell on her often, I'd drive myself mad if I did. But it's the hardest to push her memory away on nights like tonight. Her birthday. She would have been eight today. Sometimes I'm surprised it still hurts as much as   
it does. To think of her.   
  
I deserve the pain. The torment of knowing I was the cause of my only child's death. That I caused my 'loving' wife, to kill her just to save her. That I am the reason she never lived to her second birthday let alone her eighth.   
  
I try to redeem myself, spying for Dumbledore...for the Ministry. I started this for her. For Jessica, to some how redeem my sins so when I die I can be with her perhaps in heaven. Though that is to much to even hope for.   
  
Secretly hoping HE will find me out. That I'll died a horrible lingering death. But perhaps it's a better punishment for me to live with the knowledge that I killed the only person that ever truly loved me.

Signed Severus Snape  
  
  
tbc

Reviews make the world go round.


	5. natalis natalis

****

natalis natalis

By Shaina

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any ideas or characters from it. Jessie and all original characters and ideas are my own.

Author note: 2/25 12:04am _Correct version up this time._Okay folks here you go. Review if you want more. After all praise and flames are my payment for writing.

"Ita erat quando hic adveni." Jessie said trying not to smile impishly at the elderly witch. Managing to look innocent and up to something all at the same time.

"As impressed as I am that you're doing well with your Latin, it does NOT answer the question of why the icing is missing from the back of the cake." Dorothy Cranfson sighed looking at her young charge. She couldn't really get mad at the girl, Jessie was only eight. And only that day too.

"Canis meus id comedit?" Jessie couldn't help but grin now. Ms. Cranfson had said she wanted her to practice her Latin more hadn't she?

The older witch sighed, and looked down at the rapidly growing child. The agent in charge of Jessie case, Crampton, was having a fit about how much it was costing the ministry to keep up with the rapidly heightening young girl. It was also Crampton's idea to have the child bounced around from agent to agent instead of staying with a family. She'd had some very loud disagreements with that wizard over that. She didn't care if in three years Jessie could be sent off to school. A child needed a family, and it infuriated her more that Jessie had family. A father living and breathing, and they weren't even permitted to tell the poor girl that. "Go get changed and I'll take you to Diagon alley."

"Really?" Jessie looked up at her. She loved Diagon alley. Especially watching the families there, and daydreaming what it be like to have a mum and da. She was always looking for someone with her eyes, or her hair, or even her nose. "Can I have a some Bertie Botts every Flavor beans?" asked hopefully as she took off up the stairs to her attic room. 

"If your good." Dorothy told the girl watching her disappear up the stairs. Silly thing to tell that child. 'If your good' Jessie was always good. So much so that it was scary at times. And she didn't even want to know how Jessie had known about Azaban when she'd only been four. 

About a half hour later, Dorothy and her young charge walked down Diagon alley. Jessie darting from one window to the other. 

Jessie was in heaven, so much to see and all sorts of people to watch. And not a single person looked at her like she shouldn't be there. Jessie giggled to herself wondering what Crampton would think. Probably something about her being to tempted in a place like Diagon Alley so she could go. 

Jessie shuddered thinking about what Crampton would have her doing if she was in his 'care' today. Studying probably…or making her read those horrible reports about all the things people like her father had done. Or at least that's what Crampton always told her, that her father was a Death Eater and had killed her mother. Tired to kill her. 

Frowning she scolding, the big gray tom cat that followed her about away from some cages of Owls. Salem gave her haughty look before going off in search of mice. Jessie pushed away thoughts of her supposed father, and how anger she'd get at Crampton when he'd tell her those things. 

Would she be lucky enough to get a owl when she went off to school, or would she be stuck with ol' Salem? She liked Salem well enough but she always had the feeling he wasn't her's...like he was there watching over her. 

"Look they have the new Comet in!" she heard a boy tell his companion, and eagerly she followed after them forget all about owls. Pushing her away through the older boys, for once not embarrassed that she was almost as tall as them, and started longingly at the sleek broom. Even when she was old enough to fly, she'd bet her new shoes that the ministry would get her someone old and slightly damaged broom. 

Jessie probably stood there ten minutes her nose pressed up against the glass, before she pulled herself away. Dorothy had given her money to by some Bertie Botts Beans and a few more coins as a birthday present, and she was eager to spend it. Though she knew she was expect to by a book or something, the eight year old was quite set to blow it on candy. Chocolate frogs, one of her favorite things in the world. Maybe she'd get another Dumbledore..she loved those.

Intent on the candy shop, Jessie didn't notice the man in dark robes with eyes like hers watching her. If she had she would have seen him almost smile sadly as she entered the shop, or the frown that replaced it. But she wouldn't have heard the mental cursing he did... 'that's not your daughter. Your daughter is dead. Your daughter is dead!'

Looking around with eyes, trying to figure out what she could buy..or to be more accurate what she could afford to buy. She was disappointed to realize she couldn't even buy a chocolate frog. Jessie was about to just buy the beans and go find Dorothy, when witch running the shop looked at her and smiled. 

"Young?" she asked.

Jessie nodded wondering what she'd done wrong. "Yes Ma'am, I am."

A bag laden with all types of candies appeared on the counter. "A man came in here a little while ago and brought all this for you. Said when a little girl with black hair and eyes, and sliver sneakers came in I was to give this to her. And your her"

Jessie stared wide eyed at the candy. "For me?" she almost squeaked.

If the witch said anything else Jessie didn't hear and the next the she knew she was hurrying out the door, thinking this was the best birthday ever. So excited was she that she didn't even wonder who could have given her the candy. As she hurried down the alley looking for Dorothy, she thought she saw a man with dark hair and eyes watching her. But when she looked again he was gone.


	6. aquilus

****

aquilus

**__**

Disclaimer: Look first chapter

Author's notes: Don't worry this is the last chapter before I actually move to Hogwarts and will see more of Snape. The content will also start reflecting the rated R rating. For those of you that want a more…expanded and bit more disturbing version of this chapter send me a e-mail. I edited out a scene that I didn't feel was appropriate to show yet. Please review, I'd like at least 5 reviews before I put out the next chapter. I do listen to my readers, if there's something you'd like me to expand on email me or leave a review and I'll look at what I can do. Oh and do the person that emailed me with who she thought had cast the spell that shut the door back in the first chapter. You're right is who you though it was. * Secret smile* Anyway for the rest of you, enjoy and review. 

Jessie couldn't let them get her. Bare feet hit the floor with hard almost painful sounds that echoed through the long dark corridor. Even her breathing sounded horriblily loud in the silence. 

Silence broken only by the sounds of hysterical laugher. Or hysterical crying. And sometimes they blended so perfectly she couldn't tell the difference, making her want to stop and cover her ears. Made her want to sit down and cry with the voices. 

She want a chocolate frog so badly.

But she couldn't stop running, if she did they'd catch her. They'd cornered her once...and…she couldn't remember but she knew she didn't want to be caught. Her feet hurt, burned. She just want to stop running. She wanted the voices to stop talking to her. 

She wanted to stop and talk to them. She wanted to scream, cry, laugh…anything but keep running. Sitting down and just staying put seemed like such a wonderfully thing. Like the best thing in the world.

But her feet kept going. Complied by one voice that had told her to run and not stop…such a long time ago.

There was a figure up ahead and Jessie stopped despite herself. The man before her smiled and held out a hand.

"Ah there you are Jessie. You're in a good deal of trouble young lady wandering off like that." 

Jessie screamed.

The nightmares had started soon after her tenth birthday. 

They weren't really nightmares, more a mix of old and terrible memories that such a young mind could not handle. Things she would never admit to herself had happened. It was too horrid to think that it could have. 

So she lied when he came into her room after hearing her scream. Made up stories about what her nightmares were about. Nightmares that children her age should have. Told him anything that would get him out of her room. That would get him off her bed, where he would sit a little to close. Smile a little too widely. Hug her when she wanted nothing to do with him. 

"Such a good girl you are Jessie." He'd tell her touching her black hair, in away she was sure was highly improper. "Not like your parents are you? No you aren't. So don't worry, you'll go to Hogwarts probably next year, and after that maybe they'll give you a nice ministry job. Wouldn't that be lovely, dear?"

And she would nod, and smile. Jessie had become awfully good a false smiles. Always wondering if people would know she practice smiling in her mirror. Or that she'd practice laughing. 

Just like they didn't know about the small attic space, she'd crawl into a read muggle books. _The little Princess_ was her favorite closely followed by _Dealing with Dragons._

All she was allowed to read in this house was big books written in Latin…or horrid accounts of what the death eater had done. 

She hated this house, she hated him. She hated him so much sometimes it scared her. Jessie had tired explain it to another Ministry agent once…but they'd just smiled at her and said that Agent Crampton knew what was best for her.

But she still hated him. 

Jessie was quite sure she wasn't normal, that even if she managed to get into Hogwarts that the other children would look at her and just know. Know that she was different, that she was warped and twisted somehow. 

She had never forgotten, how cruel her primary schoolmates were to her when they'd found out she had a baby garden snake as a pet. She loved that little snake, just as much as she did Salem. Daisy, she'd named the little green snake that would stay curled up in her pocket during classes. 

Jessie had cried for weeks after one of the older boys had taken Daisy from her and killed her. Snake's were evil, they'd taunted her, so she must be evil too. Two days after that indecent, the family she'd been staying with told her she was going to go stay with 'another' nice family.

She learned to hide, that she didn't think snakes were evil. Jessie had learned to hide many things in her short life. Especial the fact that she'd learned life was black and white, like teachers and others wanted her to think. Life wasn't fair, life was hard, scary, and cruel. 

Justice wasn't always meted out in the end. Sometimes, most of the time, the good guy lost. Evil could triumph over good. And even when good won, it was not a absolute victory. 

Grownup didn't like hearing things like that from children. She still believed most people were good had heart, believed in good eventually winning. Even if only for a short time. 

Jessie even still believe that one day, she would have a family. A mum and a da, just like her friends at school. That someone could love her. That her parents had loved her. No matter what anyone said.

But most of all she believe that if she did get into Hogwarts, that she'd be the only first year that could speak fluent Latin.

And she was sure that would come in handy somehow.


	7. ordiri

Ordiri

Author's note: Here you all go chapter 7. Thanks for all the great reviews. Especial you Gina. Keep the reviews coming, even if you've reviewed before I'd like to know your thoughts on the new chapters. OR you can email me. All the titles are in Latin. Double word scores for those who figure out how they tie into the chapters. 

Thanks to my Beta-reader Gina, and to Mandragoran (go read her fics) who has to listen to me babble on about my story ideas. Thanks girls. 

Jessie looked out the window at other students saying goodbye to their parents and sibling. At the hugs, kisses, and tears.

Not for the first time she wondered what it would be like to have a family. She WAS glad that Crampton hadn't hung around long enough to say anything more than 'don't cause any trouble, missy', in his pompous hoarse voice. 

Looking away from the window, she stroked the fur of the large gray cat sleeping in her lap. 

"Good ol' Salem. I'm awful glad you stowed away, no matter how much trouble you might get me in." 

Salem wasn't her familiar or even hers, despite what most people thought. Salem was her mother's familiar. Well at least she THOUGHT Salem was her mother's familiar. Crampton told her she was stupid for thinking that when she'd told him once. But from some deep instinct or so forgotten memory she knew that Salem was her mother's. Or was her mother Salem's? She could never quite figure out which, and Salem was no help at all in the matter. 

Her familiar was a brown barn owl, she'd named Mercade. She had read the name in some muggle play by Shakespeare, who she privately though was bloody brilliant--if not a little morbid. A strange gift, the owl not the playwright, it had appeared soon after she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter. The gift had made Crampton very nervous and very angry, more so than normal.

The bruises on her arms were just now starting to disappear. He never grabbed or hit her anywhere that would be visible to others. When she'd been younger he'd never raised a hand to her. But then she'd never lived with him for more than a few months, that had changed a few years ago. 

The owl incident was the last time he'd raised a hand to her. He had received a owl soon after from someone, and it seemed to have scared him half to death. 

He was almost….nice to her after that. She personal would have preferred him to go back to ignoring her most of the time. 

"Is someone in here with you?" A voice from the door, asked. "Everywhere else is full or crowed with boys. And I don't want to sit with bunch of boys."

Jessie looked up to see a girl with blonde pig-tails and brown eyes. "No...no one is in here with me."

The girl came in and sat across from Jessie. "My names Hannah Abbot...what's yours?" 

"Jessie Olson."

The two girls sat in a uneasy silence for several moments. "What house do you think your going to be in?" Hannah asked.

"I don't know…anything but Slytherin would be fine. Probably be a Hufflepuff." Jessie told her, still stroking Salem. "What about you?"

"My mum and the rest of her family were Ravenclaws, but my uncle Luke was a Hufflepuff. I'd like to be Ravenclaw but..." She shrugged. "What about you…what houses were your parents in?"

"I don't know…my parents died when I was little." Jessie said looking at her hands, hoping the other girl didn't pry further. 

"My mum's gone too, since I was eight. And my da's a muggle. "Hannah told Jessie. "What's his name?" she asked, as Salem stretched out a paw and protested at being ignored.

"Salem…his name is Salem." She told Hannah. "He's not my familiar though...he just kinda won't leave me alone."

A boy stuck his head into the cabin then. "Have you two seen a toad? I've lost my toad, Trevor."

"No sorry." Jessie told him, before the boy ran off. 

The two girls looked at each other and laughed. 

"How do you lose a toad?"Jessie giggled.

"I don't know….very carefully and hope your parents don't just buy a new one?" Hannah suggested.

They both burst into a fit of giggles.

The two young girls became fast friends, and discovered the train ride wasn't nearly long enough to get to know the other as well as they'd like. 

For Jessie things seemed to go by in a blur because before she knew it her and Hannah were standing in the great hall for the sorting hat ceremony. 

Hannah was called first of course, and Jessie watched anxiously crossing her fingers that Hannah would get into the house she'd wanted. When the Sorting hat yelled out Hufflepuff, she grinned at her new friend. Hufflepuff was better than Slytherin. Now if only she could get into Hufflepuff too, things would be perfect.

It was as she stood there waiting for her name to be called that she noticed one of the teachers staring at her. The man was dressed all in black...and like her had black hair and eyes. She frowned slightly, she could have sworn she'd seen the man before. Like a dim hazy memory…..

"Olson, Jessie."

She forgot completely about the strange teacher. 

Nervously, she sat on the stool as the hat was placed on her head. 

"Ah… interesting. No Hufflepuff no…not for you…plenty of brains...no not Ravenclaw...." The hat said in her ear. "Where to put you…where to put you…can't have you going into that house so better be…." 

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled.

She grinned almost running off with the sorting hat. Jessie couldn't believe it...she was a Gryffindor! Her! The girl everyone thought wouldn't get into Hogwarts to begin with! 

Sitting down with her new house, she looked around at all the smiling faces. Still beaming over getting into Gryffindor, she didn't think to look up at that strange teacher again.

Then...then the name all the first years had been waiting to hear...waiting to see where he'd go…was called.

"Potter, Harry."

Jessie looked at the boy, and had to admit he wasn't what she expected Harry Potter to look like. Unruly black hair…glasses. No, definitely not what she expected…but she rather liked that he looked unassuming. He didn't at all look the part of a boy full of himself, and she'd met plenty of those to know.

If she hadn't been paying so much attention to Potter, she might have noticed that the dark haired man was almost glaring at her as she sat at the Gryffindor table. It was more of a scowl though…and a look of disbelief. Before the black eyes went back to glaring at Potter.

Jessie added her voice to the cheers of the Gryffindors' as Harry Potter was declared to be a Gryffindor. She couldn't believe it…she…she the daughter of death eaters. A girl no one had ever wanted. Was a Gryffindor...was a member of the same house as Harry Potter. 

The feast came and went in a wonderfully blur, the most remarkable moment beging Nearly Headless Nick, showing them why he was called nearly headless. The trip to the Gryffindor tower was a long one. Peeves stood out in her mind…she had to stifle a giggle when the ghost had dropped walking sticks on Percy. 

Then of course was the matter of the moving paintings. If she could have she would have stood there looking at them for hours, but she couldn't. And was probably to tired to stand for more than 20 minutes, for the moment they'd gotten to the dorms…

Well not the moment, but soon after, Jessie had curled up exhausted in her four poster bed. A bigger bed then she'd ever dreamed of sleeping in. Salem was asleep at her feet purring contentedly. If Jessie could have purred she would have too. 

For the first time that she could remember in her life, she had a family. She was wanted. God she had friends already, that thought it was cool she could speak Latin! 

And no one could take this away from her. Nobody.

Sleepily and happier than she'd ever been, Jessie feel fast asleep.


	8. Childern At Play

**Children at Play**

By Shaina

Rated R

__

Authors notes: Enjoy this please. Review lots please.

Disclaimer: This all belongs to Queen Rowling.

Also is you enjoy this story please, check out the two prequels to this, A hard Ride, and Playing With Poison. Thanks to Gina for bugging me to keep going. And to Annchen for her wonderfully reviews.

**_

You know that children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers. 
    John J. Plomp
_ **

It was during a morning break soon after classes started that Jessie and Hannah sat around munching chocolate frogs that Jessie had in her pocket and

talking about teachers and classes.

"If History of Magic gets any more boring, I think most of my class group will fall asleep..." Hannah sighed. "If Professor Binns wasn't dead he'd fall

asleep himself."

Jessie giggled. "I don't know I kinda find it interesting..." she told Hannah.

"You would... if I didn't know better I'd think you were a Ravenclaw. And you're already Professor Quirrell's favorite." Hannah said.

Jessie rolled her eyes. "No I'm not, I just don't ask him questions that scare him is all. And I really think everyone is to hard on him... any ways lets talk about something else.."

"I hear you have potions next, Jessie. "Hannah said looking sympathetically at her. "I had that class yesterday."

"Okay next time I'll pick the topic." Jessie grimaced, she had been looking forward to that class but with everything she'd heard about the teacher. "Is

Professor Snape really that bad?"

"He's worse than bad, he took two points from Lana for no reason at all." Hannah said. "And I hear he's worse on Gryffindors... totally favors his own house."

Of course Lana also had a habit of asking random questions out of the blue, but who was counting that?

"Ugh... and I would be in the group that has potions with Slytherin, wouldn't I? At least we have Herbology together." Jessie sighed.

Hannah nodded. "I wish we had more classes together...but you'd better get going if you want to get down to class on time."

"Yea and with my luck, Professor Snape would take off a zillion points for being a second late." Jessie giggled waving at Hannah as she hurried off.

Double Potions with Slytherin turned out not to be as bad as she thought it would be... at least for her.

She felt sorry for Harry as Snape fired off questions...how was he supposed to know those things? She only did because Crampton made her study so much that summer... mostly she thought to keep her out of his hair. And Hermione she was sure studied all summer because she wanted to. That girl just plain annoyed her.

Perhaps Professor Snape wanted to make sure Harry didn't get any ideas about showing off because he was 'the Harry Potter'. Harry thought didn't seem the type from what she'd seen of him. And would Hermione just put her hand down...Snape OBVLIOUSLY wasn't going to call on her. 

By the end of class she was sure Snape just hated Harry and Gryffindors' in general. That and Jessie was sure Neville would have a hard time living through the next seven years unless someone gave that boy some serious help. Neville seemed sweet but hopeless to her.

Over the next few days she shyly tried to give some help to Neville, she tried her best but just couldn't seem to help him. So when Hermione started to help him in Potion's Jessie didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved. She had her hands full trying to help Hannah, Susan and Justin. 

Hannah was smart... but a bit flaky. Always talking to birds and chewing on the end of her paint brush. Every time Jessie saw her Hannah had paint on her nose and a pocket full of birdseed and owl treats.

It was a month later that the four of them were having what was becoming a weekly study session in the library.

Jessie was sitting at a library table with the three Hufflepuffs, Hannah's nose was purple today, and helping Justin with arithmetic while Hannah helped Susan with her Latin. 

"I'm such a dunderhead... I can't even get simple word problems." Justin said, resting his chin in his hand. 

Jessie shook her head and smiled. "No you aren't Justin... not everyone can do these things. Here lets work it out step by step..."

"Well, well look at this... a Gryffindork who thinks she's a Hufflerunt. Or maybe she just keeps them as pets." Came an insulting laughing voice from behind

her. Jessie knew whom it was before she even turned around. Draco Malfoy. She didn't care HOW much she thought she'd known him at some point before this...

he was still a git.

"Shut up Malfoy." Jessie turned in her chair glaring at him, with coal black eyes. 

"Or you'll do what? Run home and cry to your mommy? Oh that's right you don't have one... your a little ministry ward..." He said the words like it was worse than being a mudblood.

She smiled darkly at him. "So tell me Malfoy...couldn't your daddy buy you a place on the Qudditch team? Or was he afraid you'd fall off your broom?"

Malfoy glared at her and everyone around Jessie held their breath, sure she was in for it. But Draco did nothing but mutter. "You'd better watch it Gryffindork..." before storming off.

"You're either really brave or really crazy. "Susan told her.

Jessie shook her head smiling. "Nah, Malfoy is just all hot air. And it helps that he's still smarting that Harry gets to play on the house team as a first

year and HE was told that he wasn't even holding the broom right." she chuckled.

Hannah and Justin snickered.

The weeks passed by uneventfully until Halloween.

Jessie couldn't believe she'd fallen asleep studying, and she couldn't believe that no one had woken her up!

The Halloween feast had already started. She thought briefly of seeing if Hermione was still crying in the girl's bathroom... but figured she wanted to be left alone. Her and Hermione weren't exactly friends, in fact she was that close to any of the Gryffindor girls. She got on a lot more with Hannah and her

friend Susan. 

Not for the first time, she wished she had been put in Hufflepuff. But she guessed that hat knew what it was doing. Least she hoped it did. She giggled briefly suddenly getting the mental image of the sorting hat doing its on version of ennie minne minie moe. 

So she wasn't watching where she was going when she ran smack dab into something rather solid. Hands came up to steady her and she looked up to see whom she'd

run into. ~Please don't be Snape...~ 

It wasn't Snape. It was professor Quirrell, his turbine slightly eschew. 

"Sorry Professor." Jessie said straightening her robes.

"Q-quit-e a-al-all right Ms. O-0lson." Quirrell stammered giving her one of his nervous smiles. "S-shouln-n't you be at t-the fe-feast?"

Jessie nodded, looking down at her feet. "I fell asleep studying. I'm not in trouble am I?" she asked looking back up. That's all she needed to endear

herself more to the other Gryffindor girls... loosing them points.

"N-no har-rm done. H-hope y-you aren-n't pushing yourself t-to hard. Ha-hate to loose m-my most p-promising st-student to exhaustion." He told her.

Jessie beamed at the compliment. DADA was one of her favorite classes, and the one she was best at, besides potions. 

"You b-best get to t-the feast..." Quirrell said looking nervous...but then he ALWAYS looked that way.

She nodded. "Thank you Professor." She said as she hurried into the great hall. 

Jessie sat down near Seamus and dug into all the goodies laid out on the table. Momentarily forgetting about running into Quirrell and the fact that Hermione

wasn't at the feast.

What happened next happened so quickly and suddenly that Jessie barely had time to think. Professor Quirrell came running in yelling about a troll and

everything exploded into panic. And like most Gryffindors she didn't realize Ron, Harry and Hermione were missing until they come back with news of having

fought a troll.

Much later the girls in her dorm all sat on Hermione's bed talking about what had happened in the bathroom. Well most of them were, Jessie was sitting on her own bed. Telling herself that she didn't feel left out at all, she didn't need her classmates to like her…

"Weren't you scared?"

"Was it really 15 feet tall?"

"Oh my goodness if Harry and Ron hadn't saved you.

Oh..."

Jessie smiled slightly. "Well if they hadn't Moaning Myrtle would of had someone to talk to... though I think you'd make a much more interesting ghost."

The other girls turned and started at her, like she was the biggest dunderhead that they'd ever seen. Then Hermione started to laugh.

"I probably would have still gone to class the next day." Hermione giggled.

"Hey you could have made it into Hogwarts: A History." Jessie pointed out.

The girls had a grand time giggling over whether Myrtle would have shared her toilet with Hermione... or if any of the teachers would have minded having a

ghost student, and eating Chocolate frogs from Jessie's stash.

This is not to say that Jessie became fast friends with any of the other girls in her dorm, but at the least she knew they didn't hate her.

It wasn't until much later that night when she was curled under her blankets, curtain drawn around the bed that she remembered....

Hadn't she seen Professor Quirrell minutes before he came running in about the troll... and hadn't he been coming OUT of the Dungeons...?

Two weeks later, Jessie was still wondering over this and other odd behavior she'd noticed from what had been her favorite professor, as she headed towards

the Greenhouse. She and Hannah had gotten permission to 'look around' from Professor Sprout, under the guise of wanting to get more familiar with all the

different plants in the gardens. 

"Jessie! There you are." Hannah said, a lovely yellow color on her nose that day. "I almost thought you'd forgotten."

Jessie smiled and shook her head. "How could I forget a chance to explore Professor's Sprouts gardens? Is she really going to let us poke around on our own?"

"Well not everywhere...there are things us first years can't handle in there you know." Hannah told her, as the two girls made their way to the garden. 

Professor Sprout looked up and smiled at the two girls as they entered the greenhouse. "Hello Jessie, Hannah. It's so wonderfully to see first years take Herbology so seriously. Well you girls are free to explore as long as you stay away from the vemous tancolor."

"Yes Professor..." the girls said, nodding. Knowing it was better that she DIDN'T know they just wanted an excuse to go exploring. 

The girls spent almost an hour exploring the hedges, and almost winding garden passageways. When Jessie came across something strange, a large tree growing

against the side of the castle. There were initials carved into the trunk of the tree M,PF,P, & W, in a square shape.

"Hannah come look at this!" Jessie called, to her friend. Looking more closely at the tree trunk. 

"Wonder whose initials these are..." She wondered out loud, touching the knot that was in the center of the initials. As she did, the knot depressed and the sound of stone moving against stone filled the air. 

"Eep!" Jessie shrieked, scrambling back.

Hannah came running towards her. "Jessie what on Earth did you do?!"

"I don't know! But look!" She was pointed towards the base of the trunk were the wall met wood... or better where the wall HAD met wood. Now there was the beginning of a staircase going down into the dark... 

__

More notes: For any of you wonder why Jessie is a Gryffindor and not another house it has partly to do with the 5th Gryffindor girl theory over at Lexicon, go here _http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/hogwarts_students.html#Gryffindor%20girls_

To read about it. It also as a great deal with her personality, the sorting hat just doesn't put someone into a certain house. Trust me I tried sitting down and justifying her going into Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaw but couldn't do it.


End file.
